The Glass factory.           
                                        
                                        
                                      
                                  
                                  
                                          
 Several  Centuries  After  It  Had  Last 
 Belonged To Us, We Went  On An Outing To 
 The Glass Factory That Bore  Our  Family 
 Name. It Had Changed Owners  Many  Times 
 Since  Our  Ancestors  Death,  And  Then 
 Stood  Abandoned  For   A   Long  While. 
 Finally, The  Natural  End  Station  For 
 The Buildings  That  Survive: A  Museum, 
 And A Gift Shop.                         
                                          
 There'S  A  Long  Time  Since  My Family 
 Made  Anything.  By  Many,  We  Would Be 
 Considered Poor.                         
                                          
 There  Are Two Main  Factory  Buildings, 
 Domed Things Of Several Floors,  Made In 
 Yellow Brick.  Large But Narrow Windows, 
 Reminescent    Of     Some    Cathedral. 
 Custom-Made  Glass, Of Course, Large And 
 LeadEd, And Ashen. A Bit Too Dark  To Be 
 Practical.   On  The  Eastern  Building, 
 Some Are Shattered.                      
                                          
 The Other One Is Publicly  Open. There'S 
 A Museum, With  Wax Figures Of My  Great 
 Great Great  Grandfather,  Or Something. 
 Various  Tools (Or Replicas) Laid Out On 
 Tables,  With Explaining Texts. A Lot Of 
 Glass     Of     Varying      Thickness. 
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 I Quickly  Sneak Out, And Climb Into The 
 Other   Building.   The   Contrast    Is 
 Overwhelming.   It   Must   Have   Stood 
 Derelict  For   A  Long   Time,  Windows 
 Broken,  Metallic  Trash  And  Pools  Of 
 Dark  Glass   All  Over  The  Floor.  No 
 Electric Lights,  But  I  Can See By The 
 Light  That Shines In Wherever The  Dark 
 Windows     Are    Missing    A    Pane. 
                                          
 However, The Greatest Difference  Is The 
 Higher Floors: This Building  Has  None. 
 It Is One Massive  Hall, Stretching Away 
 Infinitely  Above Me. Somewhere Up There 
 Is  Some Great  Iron  Latticework,  From 
 Where Chains Are  Suspended,  And  Parts 
 Of  Machinery  Has  Been  Falling  Down. 
                                          
 There Is, In  The  Middle Of  The  Great 
 Hall,  A  Thin  Spiral  Staircase   That 
 Leads Up There. I Sneak  Over There, And 
 Take  A  Few Reluctant Steps. After Just 
 A Revolution,  I  Notice That  For  Each 
 Step The  Building  Starts To  Glow, The 
 Bricks  Turning  A  Dark  Red,  And Then 
 Orange,  All The  Piled Up  Debree Being 
 Lit From Behind.                         
                                          
 I Stop  Ready To Run Down And  Out,  But 
 There'S  Someone Else  On The  Staircase 
 With  Me  Now,   Pressed   Close.   He'S 
 Looking  Like Me,  Short Hair  And  Thin 
 Arms,  But  With Ears From Some  Animal, 
 And  More Disturbingly, Completely  Made 
 Of Dark Liquid glass.                    
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 My  Fear  Holds Me  In  Place  While  He 
 Starts Operating  Levers  And Dials  Set 
 In The Center  Of The Staircase. Slowly, 
 It Starts  Spinning,  Circling  Upwards. 
 It'S  An   Elevator!  I  Start  To   Run 
 Downwards,   But   Now  The  Liquid  Boy 
 Creature  Grabs  Hold Of  Me.  I  Try To 
 Shake Him Off, But He'S Too  Strong, And 
 Pulls    Me   Back   Up    Beside   Him. 
                                          
 This  Time, I  Turn Angry  Instead. What 
 The  Hell? Who Is This Guy, Acting  Like 
 This? I  Reach  Out My Free Arm And Slam 
 A  Random  Lever.  Some  Metal   Bar  Is 
 Suddenly Released  Between  Us,  Hitting 
 Him On  The Arm, Forcing  My  Release. I 
 Shove Him Off Of Me, And  He  Falls Into 
 The    Levers,    Messing    Them    Up. 
 Immediately,   A  Thin  Rusty  Chainmail 
 Curtain Is Dropped  Around Me.  But  The 
 Elevator Also  Speeds  Up Significantly. 
                                          
 The  Walls  Are  Flaring  Now,   Yellow, 
 White, Almost Blue. I Close My  Eyes And 
 Curl  Into A  Ball. But Then,  The Glass 
 Boy  Screams,   A  Piercing  Sound  That 
 Forces  My Eyes Back Open. I Watch As He 
 Becomes  Too  Liquid,  His Body  Pooling 
 Down In His  Now  Massive Tail, And  The 
 Tip  Of It Suddenly Breaks Of In A Glass 
 Drop  That  Falls  Toward  The   Factory 
 Floor.                                   
                                          
 He'S Crawling  On The  Stairs, Unable To 
 Keep  His Body Upright.  Can'T Reach The 
 Levers,  Claws  At  My  Chainmail  Cage, 
 While  His  Body Is  Turning  Into  Dark 
 Pearls. Finally, He'S Lost  Too Much  Of 
 Himself  And  The Scream Is  Cut  Short. 
 The    Last   Of    Him   Rains    Down. 
                                          
 I  Still Can'T  Reach  The  Levers  From 
 Within My  Cage.  Looking Up, I  Try  To 
 Make Out The  Ceiling,  But It'S  All  A 
 Whirling Sea  Of Colours. Below Me Glows 
 The Hellfire  Of The Factory  Walls, But 
 Very Faint. I Sit  Down, Curl  Back  Up, 
 Become Still.                            
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 A  Large  Clunk Shakes My  Entire  Body, 
 And  Snaps  Me  Back  Into  Reality. I'M 
 Back  At  The  Factory  Floor,  But  The 
 Stairs  Are   Still   Moving   Slightly, 
 Clicking In Place, Carrying  Me The Last 
 Few  Centimeters.  I  Came  From  Below, 
 Somehow.  The  Chainmail  Is  Retracted, 
 And  I  Slowly  Dismount   The   Stairs. 
                                          
 Shaking And  Crying, I Make My Way  Over 
 The Factory Floor, Wading  Through  Dark 
 Glass  Marbles. A Quick Glance Down, And 
 I  See There'S  Something  Faint  Inside 
 Them.   Embryos?    Are   These    Eggs? 
                                          
 I   Shudder,   And   Climb   Back   Out.